GROUP, Vol. 34, No.3,September 2010 Book Review On Becoming a Group Member: Personal Growthand Effectivnessin Group Counseling. By Muhyiddin Shakoor. New York: Routledge, 2010, 168 pp. Reviewed by JocelynW. Charnas1 Muhyiddin Shakoor s final wordstohisreaders inOnBecoming a Group Member are"bonvoyage!" Thisis an appropriate sign-off as,atitsheart, On Becoming a Group Member isa guidebook for theinterpersonal andintrapsychic journey that isgroup therapy. Dr.Shakoors intended audience isstudents whoareparticipating inexperiential orcounseling groupsas partoftheir training in counseling, psychology , socialwork, orother helping professions. However, I believe this bookhas utility for anyone interested injoininga therapy groupandalsofor therapy group leaders, particularly thoseintraining orearly intheir careers. Shakoor s primary emphases areoninterpersonal learning viaself-awareness, attention tothehereand nowofgroupprocess, andencouragement ofmembers toadoptwhatheterms a "facilitative attitude" oropenness togroup process. Theseconstructs, coupledwith richandrelatable clinical examples anda discussion ofmulticultural perspectives ongroup work, makefor a comprehensive andinteresting read. Following an introduction and orientation sectionthatdescribes themindsetofthe "effective groupmember" andprovides tipsand strategies forthenew member, thebookisdividedintochapters thatexplore four stages ofgroupwork anddetailthechallenges thatthegroupmember canexpectfrom eachstage.The author positsthatthebeginning stageistypically characterized byambiguity and anxiety, whereastheearlymiddlestageoften introduces conflict intothegroup process. Thelatemiddlestage brings with ita transition from conflict tocohesion, whereas thetermination stageinvolves ambivalence, andthere isoften someform 1 Correspondence should beaddressed toJocelyn W.Charnas, PhD, St. Lukes-Roosevelt HospitalCenter , 411 West 114th Street, New York, NY10025. E-mail: Jocelyncharnas@gmail.com. ISSN 0362-4021©2010 Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society 269 270 CHARNAS ofregression. Although thesearenotgroundbreaking assertions, whenpresented alongside richclinical examples that illustrate eachchallenge, they givethereader a fresh perspective onthebasicsofgroupprocess. Foreachstage, detailed clinicalscenarios areprovided, withmultiple endings demonstrating thepotential for a therapy orcounseling group togoinanynumber ofdirections during thetherapy hour.Clinicalexamples arepackedwithinsight andintensity, andthereaderisbrought right intotheactionviaShakoorsinclusionofa groupmember named"Youtu" - who,asyoumight haveguessed, isyou, reader. Thislittle literary technique encourages thereadertoconsider hisorher ownthoughts, process, andaffective response tothematerial andisquiteeffective inbringing thematerial tolife. Following theclinical scenarios, Shakoor provides pertinent questions for the readertoconsider andstrategies forsurviving andthriving ineachofthegroup phases.Additionally, eachchapter includes a multicultural analysis oftheclinical material provided. Presently, whensomuchairtime inthesocialsciences isdevoted tomulticultural issues, Shakoorstakeis refreshing. His theory isthatknowledge oftheother grows viaknowledge oftheself. Inother words, as anindividual's understanding ofhisorherownfamilial, cultural, andinterpersonal circumstances grows, sowillhisorhercapacity torelate toandunderstand others. Differences with regard togroupmembers' ethnic, racial, andcultural backgrounds areaddressed, butthere isalsoattention todiversity interms oflife experiences, family structures, andwaysofrelating. Thisisparticularly pertinent toanydiscussion ofthegroup therapy experience because, bydefinition, a therapy group isalways a multicultural entity, regardless ofthespecific racialandethnic makeup ofitsparticipants. Shakoorsgoalfor theprospective groupmember istodevelopwaysofrelating that are "transracial, transethnic, andtranscultural" andtofocusonthecommonalities of thehumanexperience aboveallelse. Thefinaltwochapters ofthebook addressgroupleadership and ethics, respectively . Thoughthebook is primarily directed atthoseembarking on group membership rather thangroupleadership, Shakoorpositsthatthequalitiesthat makean effective groupleaderaresimilar tothosethatmakean effective group member-confidence, self-awareness, andawareness ofothers. He encourages the readertoconsider hisorherownleadership capacity viaan experiential section thatreviews portions oftheclinical vignettes. Herethereader is invited toweigh in on theleadership functions demonstrated byboththegroupleaderand the members. Leadership functions as described byShakoorincludechallenging the grouptodevelophere-and-now norms, facilitating andorchestrating interaction between members, andengaging thegroup inidentifying, confronting, andresolvingavoidedinterpersonal material. Thefinal chapter onethics focuses onensuring anatmosphere ofsafety andrespect inthegroupsetting. Thenotions putforth inthis bookarenotrevolutionary inthefield ofgroup psychotherapy , andthetreatment detailed inthebookismorereflective ofa counseling BookReview: OnBecoming a Group Member 271 psychology approach thana psychodynamic one.Asa clinician currently completing training andembarking on mycareer inclinical psychology, I havebeenexposed toa great dealofgrouptheory andhaveseenitinactionintheconsulting room. However, I believe this bookisvaluable notonly becauseofitscomprehensive style andinteractive clinicalmaterial but,moreimportant, becauseitreminded meof howmuchweareasking ofourclients eachtimewestepintothegrouproom.Itis nosmallfeat toopenoneself totheinterpersonal process thatisgrouptherapy, to tolerate conflict andambiguity, andtoexposeoneself tofeedback, which, attimes, canbe extraordinarily difficult tohear.Shakoorappropriately labelstheseactsof bravery as exploration ofthe"final frontier" oftheself, andhereminds thereader thatengaging in grouptherapy is a difficult and complexjourneywithendless potential for reward. ...